She was not the rider. She was apparently present. She may or may not be the person who took the video, or who lodged the complaint with the lawyer. Edited to add: there’s a post above that says the lawyer said it was the rider, but that’s not what I originally read so will wait for clarification. Ok post below reaffirming this.
What would satisfy you in terms of owning up to it?
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Looks like Alicia did an attempt at a CYA in case her own abusive behaviour comes to light.
In pertinent part (bolding mine):
‘If we as little people take a stand and go: “We don’t want a medal that much, we’re not going to do it” then eventually the sport will clean up again. Anyone who is not a medal-winning Olympian… that does these things, you’ve got a chance to redeem yourself because everybody understands that you were only following the best. In this day and age, we know what’s wrong.’
She is saying anyone who is not a BNT/BNR who has also done stuff like this, you now have cover b/c you can say you were only following ‘the best’ like CDJ. I guess she doesn’t know the ‘just following the higher ups’ hasn’t been a viable excuse since October 1, 1946. 
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Of course they can … but it likely won’t be read by CDJ because that’s how it generally works.
My “Srsly” expresses my personal opinion on that type of reaching out to a public figure. Might be dissimilar to your opinion due to having managed other entities’ SM accounts on a much smaller scale. For me, it’s a hard, “Ew, brother, ew.” 
Just for clarity on this one point, according to all sources I can find including the NYT:
'[The Dutch lawyer] Wensing said that his client was an amateur dressage rider who had filmed the footage during a training session. ’
I.e., his client is NOT the 19 year old rider. His client is the one filming (possibly laughing but maybe that was another spectator).
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Then what’s the point of staying the obvious? Nobody believes that this lesson consists of a 1 minute whipping spree. With your other comments, it came across as, “I bet there is more and worse”. If that’s not what you meant, then 
At least one other poster took it that way.
Like you said here: “quote=“FitzE, post:679, topic:797726”]
her casual demeanour suggests this is not a one off; there is no rhyme or reason to what she’s doing and he, like we, cannot understand what she was trying to achieve; swinging the whip with both hands; etc.
[/quote]
And others want to see the whole thing to contextualize what led up to it.
And before the pitchforks come out, NOT TO DISMISS what happened, but rather to understand.
I don’t believe, as others have said, that she deserves to lose all that she has, shouldn’t be able to make a living, and should be dragged through the mud as an everlasting symbol of horse abuse and blacklisted forever and ever.
People deserve a chance to make things right.
I am livid that Kittel and Werth get to sit there in judgment and ride for their country after basically popularizing rollkur. They are insulated.
We have to be more disciplined with our outrage. A lot of the frothing and rending of garments seems based in emotional catharsis rather than anything that would actually result in improved welfare for horses.
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But the logic still doesn’t follow. If people don’t feel outraged about CDJ swinging a lunge whip like a baseball bat at a horse being ridden by a minor, does that mean that every saddle suddenly fits perfectly and every horse gets an ideal diet overnight? Of course not. The two have nothing to do with each other, so introducing red herrings helps no one.
At some point, equestrian sports need to move away from minimizing/hand waving at the Current Scandal and move towards actively preventing the Future Scandal. You can feel sorry for CDJ as a person while also recognizing her as the current flare up of a culture that is unsuccessfully trying to ignore its proverbial demons.
(Also, people do try to help others recognize when their saddle isn’t fitting correctly, or when their horse needs to have their diet adjusted. So someone is saying shite about it.)
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And it was cleared up above so what is your point in saying the same dang thing 100 posts later?
I was merely reacting to someone who said she wondered why the person filming picked up her camera at this moment. I said I don’t think she did - I think she as filming much more and this moment was germaine to the complaint.
Please read and understand the entire back and forth before jumping in and scolding me for something that was resolved long ago.
The bigger question should be what is your point in re-stating what’s already been sorted?
I believe there is no more abuse on the recording or the client would have included it in the complaint.
I also agree that Kittel and Werth are real pieces of work to have signed that letter. That is rich, indeed.
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Anything is possible. Which is why I’m ready to be corrected if my recollection is off on anything I’ve posted this week. Of course it had to be busy at work when everything is going sideways in equine land. 
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I have started a discussion on this on Off Course.
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All this–i.e., this is what I meant when I said I wanted context. Not to identify anyone or allege there was a conspiracy, but to understand what was in the lesson leading up to this event, the relationship of the horse and rider to the person filming, why there was filming and the motivations behind the filming at the time, and what CD’s relationship was to all participants. I’ve heard different versions of all of this in multiple sources. For a clip with such repercussions, I would like to know. (I’m not saying I have a right to know–I don’t–but that I would like to.)
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Thoughts on this… Mine in another post below
More sound support for Charlotte Dujardin, with VERY applicable comments!!!
Ethan Romas-Hill
This guy 
wrote the following
in italics, not me
As many of you may have heard, Charlotte Dujardin has a suspension from FEI competition and has had to pull out of the Paris Olympics. This news is deeply unsettling, and as a Vet with a commitment to animal welfare, and also dressage trainer who wants dressage to actually have a future, I feel compelled to speak up.
In the horse world, we witness numerous practices that often go unchallenged. From overfeeding horses into metabolic disease and induced laminitis, to lunging them for hours before a competition, secret water fasting, and even Botox injections into tails to stop them from swinging. Insulin and steroid hormones are administered frequently, and the use of Acepromazine at smaller competitions is widespread and almost a cultural norm in some disciplines. These are not secrets; they happen right before our eyes, yet no one speaks up until it is the flavour of the month to hate people we don’t even know.
Now, a video from four years ago resurfaces, and suddenly, we’re targeting one of the most accomplished and respected riders in our sport. Everyone’s memory is so short… I understand I might be putting my head on the chopping block here, and as a veterinarian, I expect some backlash. But I can’t sit back and watch this kind of bullying unfold. I’m not really going to comment too much on what happens in the video, because that’s not what this is about. This is about the human component here. The double standards, the self righteousness, and the aggressive cancel culture.
Is what Charlotte is seen doing in the video right? Probably not. But context matters, and we lack it here. It feels suspiciously timed, just enough to push her out of the way for the upcoming Olympics.
I see more damage done to horses daily by riders using ill-fitting saddles or feeding poor diets out of frugality. I am not condoning the actions in the video, but let’s be real: Charlotte Dujardin has done more for the appreciation of harmony in modern dressage than any other rider. She made wearing a helmet “cool,” leading to the banning of the top hat and improving the safety of our sport.
This is a video from 2.5 or 4 years ago. Reflect on who you were 4 years ago; chances are, you’ve grown and changed. The most crucial aspect of training horses is acknowledging our humanity, learning from our mistakes, and committing to not repeating them. We can’t change the past, but we can forgive ourselves and strive for better.
I take mental health seriously. Before you type or speak, remember that relentless online trolling can have devastating effects. Charlotte Dujardin has improved the lives of countless riders and horses through her teachings. Let’s show some human decency and focus on constructive actions, rather than relentlessly attack, until it’s no longer on trend, and everyone forgets about this. This is literally what happened every time something like this comes up. Time to break the cycle of extreme criticism and cancel culture of people we don’t even know.
It’s also worth noting that Charlotte has lost her sponsorship from Charles Owen helmets, a brand she popularised in my opinion. She is the reason Charles Owen remains a top choice for riders across generations and disciplines. Very disappointing to see how easily discarded she was and I’ll always keep this in mind when purchasing a helmet.
Let’s put down the pitchforks and torches. Remember, there is a real human behind this. Let’s commit to kindness, and basic human decency.
Anyone who misses the point, and wants to try to justify bullying in the comment section here, please take a walk. This post is not for you. Your time will be wasted because your comment will be deleted.
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No doubt. And COTH can be just as rough a place as other social media sites. I know someone who once received multiple death threats from COTH members due to a post made on the forums by someone who wildly misrepresented a situation for the purpose of creating drama.
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I posted a link to the photos upthread. They are hanging on the curb so hard that they are affecting the circulation in the tongue.
I would have been shot if I hung on the curb rein like that when showing for my mentors (not dressage) and I could certainly tell what was appropriate contact in a full bridle when riding my own.
How is it that Werth, Kittel and others can’t feel what they are doing with the curb?
If I am violating copyright please let me know and I’ll remove the photos.
( I’ve just realized I don’t know how to actually post the photos and not the link. ) I would like people to see the photos on this thread, since some people don’t click on links.
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This was posted by Joanne on the thread re laughing behind the camera:
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Werth riding DSP Quantaz in Amsterdam. They won the class.
[
Kittel riding Touchdown in Amsterdam. They placed third
Kittel riding Forever Young at Neumunster. They placed second.
Both going to the Olympics.Unreal.
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I think that is too hard for the unwashed masses to see but a whip is easy to point to, even though in my opinion one dominates the horse for longer and is more psychologically damaging.
Edited to add - they are both abuse - don’t get me wrong!
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If I did the blue tongue thing with the lesson horse my riding instructor would be livid. I doubt she would ever let me use a double bridle again.
The blue tongue is from the rider abusing the horse’s mouth with unforgiving HARD contact. It is horse abuse and should have no place in any type of riding.
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That is absolutely repulsive. No way they should be in the Olympics.
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Yes, but the FEI has seen these photos and they know what they are looking at.
They’ve been “investigating” for months.
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